1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to decorative vehicle wheels and more particularly to a system for permanently mounting a wheel cladding over the outer face of a vehicle wheel.
2. Antecedents of the Invention
Although wheel covers have continued to play a significant role with respect to providing a pleasant and stylized appearance to vehicle wheels in both OEM and aftermarket applications, there has been a trend in new car sales to equip vehicles with cast metal stylized vehicle wheels. Such trend has increased to the extent that stylized cast metal wheels have become standard equipment, not only on luxury vehicles, but in addition, on moderately priced vehicles.
Dynamic wheel balancing has been easier to achieve and maintain with cast metal wheels for the reason that compensation was not required for the additional mass of a wheel cover. Further, conventional wheel covers were subject to inadvertent dislodgment and consequent loss and, in addition, to loss by theft or vandalism.
While there has been a decrease in the number of available vehicle models, individual customer preferences and the availability of options has been a consideration in new vehicle marketing and sales promotion. Unfortunately, when cast metal wheels were standard or optional equipment with specific vehicle models, only one surface treatment for the wheel was available. Such limitation was a consequence of the costs involved in acquiring and maintaining inventories of numerous wheels for a particular vehicle model, each with the same dimensions and structure, but with different surface treatments. Wheel claddings, which covered the outer face of a vehicle wheel and which carried a decorative surface treatment have been previously employed for the purpose of providing a variety of available finishes to permanently cover the outer face of a stock cast vehicle wheel.
A variety of systems have been proposed for mounting wheel cladding to a vehicle wheel, such as adhesives, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,401, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Other proposed systems included the employment of snap tabs extending from the cladding into radially undercut recesses in a side of the wheel at a central wheel hub, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,832. Such hub mounting arrangement did not serve to secure the radially outer periphery of the cladding to the wheel rim and was also subject to heat degradation.